Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013

Floor Speech

Ms. MCCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R.1406--a bill more appropriately titled the ``More Work, Less Pay Act.''

My colleagues on both sides of the aisle have spoken today about the challenges facing working families. Far too many families are still struggling financially to make ends meet, and as their Representatives we should be voting on legislation that provides more opportunities and support for America's workers.

Instead, House Republicans are wasting time on a harmful bill that puts us on a path to eliminating the 40 hour work week and a worker's right to overtime pay. This bill presents a false flexibility that could amount to a real pay-cut for many of our nation's hard working families. Under this bill, employers could cut the hours of employees who want overtime pay instead of comp time. And for workers who do choose comp time, employers could later deny or delay their requests for time off.

There are bills pending in the House right now that would actually benefit working families. We should be voting on the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 377) to ensure that women and men take home the same pay for the same jobs. The Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1286) would guarantee paid sick time so workers can care for themselves and their loved ones. And we should be raising the minimum wage to lift millions out of poverty and boost our economy.

Mr. Speaker, we all want to make it easier for Americans to care for themselves and their families, but this bill creates more problems than solutions. It undermines the right of employees to be paid fairly for the hours they work. I urge my colleagues to vote against the bill, and encourage them to support bringing real family friendly legislation to the floor.

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